World News - Marine Believed Haditha Was Routine Officer In Iraq Said He Did Not Think Deaths Merited Investigation

The Marine officer in charge of troops suspected of killing 24 Iraqi men, women and children told investigators he did not initiate an inquiry into the carnage because he did not consider the deaths unusual, The Washington Post reported Saturday. In a sworn statement given to military investigators in March, Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani said: "I thought it was very sad, very unfortunate, but at the time, I did not suspect any wrongdoing from my Marines." Chessani was commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marines. "I did not have any reason to believe that this was anything other than combat action," he added. The Post said it obtained a copy of Chessani's statement. Reached by telephone late Friday, Marine Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman on the Haditha case, said he had not seen the report and could not comment. ... http://www.cbsnews.com

A man was arrested in the killing of a retired schoolteacher whose dismembered body was found in his Long Island home and whose severed head was discovered in the trunk of his car, police said.Evan Marshall, 30, of Glen Cove, New York, was expected to be arraigned Saturday on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his neighbor Denice Fox, said Nassau County police Detective Lt. Dennis Farrell.Fox, 57, was slain Thursday in her home in a gated community in Glen Cove, located about 20 miles east of New York City, Farrell said. Two "rather large" carving knives were recovered, he said. He declined to discuss any possible motive.Police received a call around 4:30 p.m. Thursday from Fox's daughter, alerting them that her mother was missing. The daughter described "a great deal of blood" on the vestibule floor and told officers a back window of the home had been broken out....http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/19/teacher.killed.ap/index.html?section=cnn_us

Bush said Saturday that his administration’s determination to remain in Iraq and its efforts to end violence in Lebanon are key to protecting the U.S. from future terrorist attacks. Democrats countered that Americans will be safer if the nation begins a phased pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq. “It is no coincidence that two nations that are building free societies in the heart of the Middle East — Lebanon and Iraq — are also the scenes of the most violent terrorist activity,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “We will defeat the terrorists by strengthening young democracies across the broader Middle East.” He acknowledged that “the way forward will be difficult.” But, the president said, “America’s security depends on liberty’s advance in this troubled region.” All those who believe this dribble, call me, I have a great deal for you on a Bridge...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14425130/

Lebanon's defense minister is threatening to halt the deployment of troops to the country's south after Israeli commandos carried out a raid deep inside the country on Saturday. An adviser to Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr told CNN the defense minister would consider the move if the United Nations did not ensure Israel was abiding by U.N. Resolution 1701.Hezbollah was sticking by the cease-fire, he added.The Israel Defense Forces, however, defended the operation, saying it was a successful move aimed at preventing and disrupting the transfer of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah. This comes as a U.N. delegation on Saturday met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and other senior Lebanese officials "to discuss the means of implementing Security Council resolution 1701 for a long-term cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel."...http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/19/mideast.main/index.html?section=cnn_world

A major police operation is under way in southern Greece to try to find a team of burglars who stole one of the country's leading religious icons. The icon of the Virgin Mary, at the monastery of Elona, symbolised Greek freedom during a 19th Century campaign to expel the Turkish Ottoman empire. Police are working on the theory that the thieves hid inside the monastery when it closed to the public. They are then thought to have been lowered by rope into the sanctuary. People living near the cliff-side monastery believe the icon possessed miraculous powers. Normally, a replica of the 700-year-old icon is exhibited at the monastery of Elona, which is built into the side of a sheer cliff. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5266494.stm

A man suspected of involvement in a 13-year wave of rapes and killings in a Mexican town that left more than 300 women dead has been detained in the US. Edgar Alvarez Cruz was arrested for alleged immigration violations in Colorado and faces extradition. The US embassy said he may have been part of a gang involved in the case. The women were abducted, often sexually assaulted or raped and then murdered in Ciudad Juarez on the Texan border. Many bodies were dumped in the desert. The US Ambassador to Mexico, Tony Garza, said it was a major breakthrough in the case. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5265448.stm